Definition of disaster types

Please find below the definition of disasters type used by our methodology.

Our methodology and our office are part of the Disaster Loss Data (DATA) project, under the umbrella of the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) programme and will apply the common standardized classification and definition after their approvals.

AirburstExtraterrestrial
An explosion of a comet or meteoroid within the Earth’s atmosphere
without striking the ground.

Animal IncidentBiological
Human encounters with dangerous or exotic animals in both urban
and rural environments.

Ash FallGeological
Fine (less than 4 mm in diameter) unconsolidated volcanic debris
blown into the atmosphere during an eruption; can remain airborne
for long periods of time and travel considerable distance from the
source.

Avalanche Hydrological
A large mass of loosened earth material, snow, or ice that slides, flows
or falls rapidly down a mountainside under the force of gravity.
• Snow Avalanche: Rapid downslope movement of a mix of snow
and ice.
• Debris Avalanche: The sudden and very rapid downslope
movement of unsorted mass of rock and soil. There are two
general types of debris avalanches - a cold debris avalanche usually
results from an unstable slope suddenly collapsing whereas a hot
debris avalanche results from volcanic activity leading to slope
instability and collapse.

Bacterial DiseaseBiological
An unusual increase in the number of incidents caused by the
exposure to bacteria either through skin contact, ingestion or
inhalation. Examples include salmonella, MSRA, and cholera, among
others.

Biological HazardBiological
A hazard caused by the exposure to living organisms and their toxic
substances (e.g. venom, mold) or vector-borne diseases that they may
carry. Examples are venomous wildlife and insects, poisonous plants,
and mosquitoes carrying disease-causing agents such as parasites,
bacteria, or viruses (e.g. malaria).

Coastal Erosion Hydrological
The temporary or permanent loss of sediments or landmass in coastal
margins due to the action of waves, winds, tides, or anthropogenic
activities.

Coastal Flood Hydrological
Higher-than-normal water levels along the coast caused by tidal
changes or thunderstorms that result in flooding, which can last from
days to weeks.

Cold Wave Meteorological
A period of abnormally cold weather. Typically a cold wave lasts two
or more days and may be aggravated by high winds. The exact
temperature criteria for what constitutes a cold wave vary by location.

Convective Storm Meteorological
A type of meteorological hazard generated by the heating of air and
the availability of moist and unstable air masses. Convective storms
range from localised thunderstorms (with heavy rain and/or hail,
lightning, high winds, tornadoes) to meso-scale, multi-day events.

Derecho Meteorological
Widespread and usually fast-moving windstorms associated with
convection/convective storm. Derechos include downburst and
straight-line winds. The damage from derechos is often confused with
the damage from tornadoes.

Disease Biological
Either an unusual, often sudden, increase in the number of incidents of
an infectious disease that already existed in the region (e.g., flu, E.
coli) or the appearance of an infectious disease previously absent
from the region (e.g., plague, polio).

Drought Climatological
An extended period of unusually low precipitation that produces a
shortage of water for people, animals and plants. Drought is different
from most other hazards in that it develops slowly, sometimes even
over years, and its onset is generally difficult to detect. Drought is not
solely a physical phenomenon because its impacts can be exacerbated
by human activities and water supply demands. Drought is therefore
often defined both conceptually and operationally. Operational
definitions of drought, meaning the degree of precipitation reduction
that constitutes a drought, vary by locality, climate and environmental
sector.

Earthquake Geological
Sudden movement of a block of the Earth’s crust along a geological
fault and associated ground shaking.

Energetic ParticlesExtraterrestrial
Emissions from solar radiation storms consisting of pieces of matter
(e.g., protons and other charged particles) moving at very high
speed. The magnetosphere and atmosphere block (solar) energetic
particles (SEP) from reaching humans on Earth but they are
damaging to the electronics of space-borne technology (such as
satellites) and pose a radiation hazard to life in space and aircrafts
travelling at high altitudes.

Expansive Soil Hydrological
Earthen material, particularly clays that, upon wetting, freezing, or
drying will alternately expand or contract causing damage to
foundations of buildings and other structures. Shrinkage is generally
referred to as desiccation.

Extraterrestrial HazardExtraterrestrial
A hazard caused by asteroids, meteoroids, and comets as they pass
near-earth, enter the Earth’s atmosphere, and/or strike the Earth, and
by changes in interplanetary conditions that effect the Earth’s
magnetosphere, ionosphere, and thermosphere.

Extratropical Storm Meteorological
A type of low-pressure cyclonic system in the middle and high latitudes
(also called mid-latitude cyclone) that primarily gets its energy from
the horizontal temperature contrasts (fronts) in the atmosphere.
When associated with cold fronts, extratropical cyclones may be
particularly damaging (e.g., European winter/windstorm, Nor’easter).

Fire following EarthquakeGeological
Urban fires triggered by earthquakes. Particularly susceptible areas
include densely spaced, wooden buildings that dominate local
architecture, and where the earthquake has damaged or ruptured
water and gas pipelines. Small local fires have the potential to merge
into conflagrations destroying many city blocks.

Flash Flood Hydrological
Heavy or excessive rainfall in a short period of time that produce
immediate runoff, creating flooding conditions within minutes or a
few hours during or after the rainfall.

Flood Hydrological
A general term for the overflow of water from a stream channel onto
normally dry land in the floodplain (riverine flooding), higher-thannormal
levels along the coast and in lakes or reservoirs (coastal
flooding) as well as ponding of water at or near the point where the
rain fell (flash floods).

Fog Meteorological
Water droplets that are suspended in the air near the Earth’s surface.
Fog is simply a cloud that is in contact with the ground.

Forest Fire Climatological
A type of wildfire in a wooded area.

Frost, Freeze Meteorological
Frost is the consequence of radiative cooling resulting in the
formation of thin ice crystals on the ground or other surfaces in the
form of needles, feathers, scales, or fans. Frost occurs when the
temperature of surfaces is below freezing and water vapor from
humid air forms solid deposits on the cold surface.
Freeze occurs when the air temperature is at (32˚F/0˚C) or below over
a widespread area for a climatologically significant period of time.
Use of the term is usually restricted to advective situations or to
occasions when wind or other conditions prevent frost. Frost and
freeze are particularly damaging during the crop growing season.

Fungal Disease Biological
Exposure to fungi either through skin contact, ingestion or inhalation
of spores resulting in an unusual increase in the number of incidents.
Examples are fungal pneumonia, fungal meningitis, etc.

Geophysical Hazard Geological
A hazard originating from solid earth. This term is used
interchangeably with the term geological hazard.

Glacial Lake OutburstClimatological
A flood that occurs when water dammed by a glacier or moraine is
suddenly released. Glacial lakes can be at the front of the glacier
(marginal lake) or below the ice sheet (sub-glacial lake).

Hail Meteorological
Solid precipitation in the form of irregular pellets or balls of ice more
than 5 mm in diameter.

Heat Wave Meteorological
A period of abnormally hot and/or unusually humid weather. Typically
a heat wave lasts two or more days. The exact temperature criteria for
what constitutes a heat wave vary by location.
Hydrological Hazard
A hazard caused by the occurrence, movement, and distribution of
surface and subsurface freshwater and saltwater.

Ice Jam Flood Hydrological
The accumulation of floating ice restricting or blocking a river’s flow
and drainage. Ice jams tend to develop near river bends and
obstructions (e.g., bridges).

Impact - CollisionExtraterrestrial
A type of extraterrestrial hazard caused by the collision of the Earth
with a meteoroid, asteroid or comet.

Lahar Geological
Hot or cold mixture of earthen material flowing on the slope of a
volcano either during or between volcanic eruptions.

Landslide following EarthquakeGeological
Independent of the presence of water, mass movement may also be
triggered by earthquakes.

Lava Flow Geological
The ejected magma that moves as a liquid mass downslope from a
volcano during an eruption.

Lightning Meteorological
A high-voltage, visible electrical discharge produced by a
thunderstorm and followed by the sound of thunder.

Liquefaction Geological
The transformation of (partially) water-saturated soil from a solid
state to a liquid state caused by an earthquake. Liquefaction reduces
the strength and stiffness of soil causing buildings to topple over.

Meteorological Hazard Meteorological
A hazard caused by short-lived, micro- to meso-scale extreme weather
and atmospheric conditions that last from minutes to days.

Parasitic DiseaseBiological
Exposure to a parasite–an organism living on or in a host–causes an
unusual increase in the number of incidents. Exposure to parasites
occurs mostly through contaminated water, food or contact with
insects, animals (zoonotic), pets, etc. Examples are malaria, chagas
disease, giardiasis and trichinellosis.

Pyroclastic FlowGeological
Extremely hot gases, ash, and other materials of more than 1,000
degrees Celsius that rapidly flow down the flank of a volcano (more
than 700 km/h) during an eruption.

Radio DisturbanceExtraterrestrial
Triggered by x-ray emissions from the Sun hitting the Earth’s
atmosphere and causing disturbances in the ionosphere such as
jamming of high and/or low frequency radio signals. This affects
satellite radio communication and Global Positioning Systems (GPS).

Rain Meteorological
Water vapour condenses in the atmosphere to form water droplets
that fall to the Earth.

Riverine Flood Hydrological
A type of flooding resulting from the overflow of water from a stream
or river channel onto normally dry land in the floodplain adjacent to
the channel.

Rogue Wave Hydrological
An unusual single crest of an ocean wave far out at sea that is much
higher and/or steeper than other waves in the prevailing swell system.

Sandstorm, Dust Storm Meteorological
Strong winds carry particles of sand aloft, but generally confined to
less than 50 feet (15 m), especially common in arid and semi-arid
environments. A dust storm is also characterised by strong winds but
carries smaller particles of dust rather than sand over an extensive
area.

Seiche Hydrological
A standing wave of water in a large semi- or fully-enclosed body of
water (lakes or bays) created by strong winds and/or a large
barometric pressure gradient,

Shockwave Extraterrestrial
A shockwave carries energy from a disturbance through a medium
(solid, liquid, gas) similar to a wave though it travels at much higher
speed. It can be a type of extraterrestrial hazard caused by the
explosion (airburst) or impact of meteorites that generate energy
shockwaves capable of shattering glass, collapsing walls, etc.

Sinkhole Hydrological
Collapse of the land surface due to the dissolving of the subsurface
rocks such as limestone or carbonate rock by water.

Snow, Ice Meteorological
Precipitation in the form of ice crystals/snowflakes or ice pellets (sleet)
formed directly from freezing water vapour in the air. Ice accumulates
when rain hits the cold surface and freezes.

Space Weather Extraterrestrial
A general term for extraterrestrial weather conditions driven by solar
eruptions such as geomagnetic storms, radio disturbances, and solar
energetic particles.

Storm Surge Meteorological
An abnormal rise in sea level generated by a tropical cyclone or other
intense storms.

Subsidence Climatological
Subsidence refers to the sinking of the ground due to groundwater
removal, mining, dissolution of limestone (e.g., karst, sinkholes),
extraction of natural gas, and earthquakes.

Tornado Meteorological
A violently rotating column of air that reaches the ground or open
water (waterspout).

Tropical Cyclone Meteorological
A tropical cyclone originates over tropical or subtropical waters. It is
characterised by a warm-core, non-frontal synoptic-scale cyclone with
a low pressure centre, spiral rain bands and strong winds. Depending
on their location, tropical cyclones are referred to as hurricanes
(Atlantic, Northeast Pacific), typhoons (Northwest Pacific), or cyclones
(South Pacific and Indian Ocean).

Tsunami Geological
A series of waves (with long wavelengths when traveling across the
deep ocean) that are generated by a displacement of massive
amounts of water through underwater earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions or landslides. Tsunami waves travel at very high speed
across the ocean but as they begin to reach shallow water they slow
down and the wave grows steeper.

Viral Disease Biological

Volcanic Activity Geological
A type of volcanic event near an opening/vent in the Earth’s surface
including volcanic eruptions of lava, ash, hot vapour, gas, and
pyroclastic material.

Wave Action Hydrological
Wind-generated surface waves that can occur on the surface of any
open body of water such as oceans, rivers and lakes, etc. The size of
the wave depends on the strength of the wind and the traveled
distance (fetch).

Wildfire Climatological
Any uncontrolled and non-prescribed combustion or burning of plants
in a natural setting such as a forest, grassland, brush land or tundra,
which consumes the natural fuels and spreads based on
environmental conditions (e.g., wind, topography). Wildfires can be
triggered by lightning or human actions.

Wind Meteorological
Differences in air pressure resulting in the horizontal motion of air. The
greater the difference in pressure, the stronger the wind. Wind moves
from high pressure toward low pressure.

Winter Storm, Blizzard Meteorological
A low pressure system in winter months with significant
accumulations of snow, freezing rain, sleet or ice. A blizzard is a severe
snow storm with winds exceeding 35 mph (56 km/h) for three or more
hours, producing reduced visibility (less than .25 mile (400 m).

DesInventar specific definition
Please noted, that the methodology allows to add, remove, create any terms related to specific disasters, however, we recomend to map them to the international standardized definition.
Find below, other hazards available with our methodology.

Alluvion
Torrential water flows dragging large amounts of solid material (pebbles, stones, and rock blocks) common in dry regions river beds which are produced by heavy rain. Equivalent to the term “huaico” used in Peru.

Boat Capsize
Overturning of a boat due to hitting the water-bed or due to sea disturbances, or other natural phenomena such as heavy winds or flash floods.

Explosion
Explosions of any type, but limited to those induced or highly connected to natural phenomena, such as electrical storms, earthquakes, droughts, etc.

Fire
Urban, industrial or rural fires, but not including forest fires. Limited to those induced or highly connected to natural phenomena, such as electrical storms, earthquakes, droughts, etc.

Flood - Urban Flood
Storm water that gets collected in city or urban areas after heavy rains due to blocking or under capacity of storm water drains. It may also be a riverine flood occurring specifically over an urban area.

Liquefaction
Soil liquefaction describes a phenomenon whereby a saturated soil substantially loses strength and stiffness in response to an applied stress, usually earthquake shaking or other sudden change in stress condition, causing it to behave like a liquid.

Panic
Panic o mass hysteria among people concentrated in a certain place (stadiums, theaters, etc.) that can kill or injure them, and cause physical damage. Limited to those induced or highly connected to natural phenomena, such as electrical storms, earthquakes, etc., and early warnings about incoming events.

Pollution Concentration of
polluting substances in the air, water or soils, at levels harmful to human health, crops or animal species.

Sedimentation
Deposits of solid material on hillsides and river beds produced by mass movements, wind, floods or surface erosion with damages on crops, utilities or other infrastructure.

Soil Erosion
Washing away of soil down the surface of hill slopes or mass movements due to storm water flow during intense rains or winds. This can cause in turn sedimentation in streams / rivers and areas at the toe of the hills.

Structural Collapse
Damages or collapse of any type of structure for reasons such as excess weight in public places, bridges, etc. This event includes damage that, although not taking the structures to the point of collapse, does make them unusable. Damages in structures caused by natural phenomena are reported as an effect of these phenomena.